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East Oolitic Residents Upset Welcome Sign Was Stolen

(EAST OOLITIC) - East Oolitic Residents are upset because someone is vandalizing their town.

According to resident Tug Beal, someone stole the "Welcome To East Oolitic" sign and has destroyed several other street signs.

"The welcome sign was there Sunday," Beal says. "But sometime between then and Tuesday someone took the sign down. They even took the bolts holding the sign in place."

Not only was that sign stolen, but someone is destroying and damaging other street signs.

"The Murdock Station Road sign is just one sign that has been bent and twisted all up," Beal added. "And if they are not taking them down or twisting them they are spray painting them."

Beal says the street signs are important because they help emergency personnel locate residents in trouble.

"I have a bad heart," Beal says. "Without the signs it takes longer for ambulance crews, firefighters and police to locate residents in need."

Lawrence County Sheriff Sam Craig says officers are making extra patrols in the area and anyone with information on who is doing or sees someone doing the vandalism is asked to call police.

"We were pretty proud of our welcome sign," Beal says. "It is just a shame that it is gone and someone would do stuff like this. The residents in this community are really trying to clean the place up and make East Oolitic a great community. But there are a few that just don't care and do things like this. It is very disheartening."

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